Westport selectmen to decide whether or not to pave Beach Avenue on Tuesday

Friday

Jun 20, 2014 at 11:30 PMJun 20, 2014 at 11:39 PM

No decision was made last Monday on whether the town should move ahead with paving Beach Avenue, but selectmen have decided to meet on Tuesday to decide the fate of the dirt road.

Jeffrey D. WagnerCorrespondent

WESTPORT — No decision was made last Monday on whether the town should move ahead with paving Beach Avenue, but selectmen have decided to meet on Tuesday to decide the fate of the dirt road.

On Monday, Selectman R. Michael Sullivan pitched the idea of placing gravel over the road instead of paving it.

Sullivan said he met with the Beach Committee, the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, the Highway Department, residents and other concerned people and entities. In response, he unveiled a plan to apply gravel to the road and build a 48-foot diameter turnaround that will allow vehicular traffic to turn around and park on the north side of the street.

He proposed sending the plan to town counsel for review, but selectmen said they needed to reach a consensus on Sullivan’s proposal before taking that step.

Currently, motorists must make a three-point turn to exit the area or to park on the authorized north side of the road. Sullivan said the Westport Harbor Improvement Corporation and the Charlton Dock Corporation will enter into a 30-year lease for the turnaround. A detention pond would also be required because the area is prone to flooding.

Sullivan said he anticipates that a boardwalk would also be there.

Sullivan said the town would incur no extra maintenance costs and the road would still be town-owned.

He also said “non-town” funding will be pursued to improve a portion of the area between Beach Avenue and a rocky area known as the Knubble.

Both sites are sandwiched between the ocean and the Westport River.

Sullivan outlined and emphasized some “selling points” of his plan, including that it addresses abutters’ and neighbors’ concerns about the project; it can save the town money on paving and other maintenance costs; and the turnaround will improve access.

In response, Highway Surveyor Chris Gonsalves said he would prefer paving the road. Selectmen Chairman Antone Vieira Jr. cited a state law that maintains the surveyor is the sole authority in determining how a road repair project should be maintained.

Sullivan told Gonsalves he respects his opinion, but said there is a misperception that paving and access are related. Sullivan said the road is public and accessible, and whether or not the town moves forward with paving has no bearing on the road’s status.

“We have access and we are trying to improve access,” Sullivan said.

Elaine Ostroff, a member of the town’s Disability Commission, approved of the plan, saying that it improves handicapped access to the Knubble, as well as better overall wheelchair accessibility.

Selectmen said they needed more time to review Sullivan’s proposal, having seen it for the first time last Monday.

Selectmen resolved to meet on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to decide the Beach Avenue matter and other issues. Selectmen said they would like to make the decision before the end of the month because bids will be opening for paving work on East Beach Road and Atlantic Avenue. In April, selectmen voted to add Beach Avenue as an alternate for possible inclusion in the paving project.